The organisation

Community Southwark is the umbrella body for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in Southwark. Our members are not for profit groups and organisations operating in Southwark. We support charities, community groups and individuals through capacity building, networks, and volunteering. 

We are proud to host Healthwatch Southwark (HWS) and support its work in connecting individuals and community groups to Health and Social Care Providers, ensuring their voices are heard and able to influence change.

The Role 

The Healthwatch Southwark Manager is at the heart of engaging with communities to support local people to access Health and Social Care, and make sure their voices are heard so that services can improve. The role takes a lead on ensuring our influence, including through representing HWS and our findings, and building relationships across the full range of partners.

The manager will ensure that HWS is well-run and sustainable, including through positive community presence and engagement, good governance, monitoring, generating income and managing further contract/consultancy projects.

They will support the staff team to work to their best abilities with efficient systems and processes. They will ensure that the team works in collaboration with local people for a more inclusive borough. They will also respond flexibly to any evolving needs.

This is an exciting time to join us with a strong Advisory Board, a stable local authority contract, and a clear purpose - to use the authority and position of Healthwatch to support historically under-represented communities in Southwark to make change.

We welcome applications from all sectors and experience levels. 

We particularly encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people and people from the LGBTQ+ communities.

Job Description

Principal Responsibilities and Accountabilities

1. To manage and support HWS staff (currently Community Engagement Officer and Research Officer) and staff on HWS-led commissioned projects (currently Health Ambassadors Officer), and volunteers.

2. To oversee and ensure the quality of:

a. effective engagement and communications functions, promoting awareness of HWS and building its connections with diverse communities.

b. the signposting and information function, supporting people to understand, navigate and use health and social care services.

c. all HWS data, intelligence, and end-to-end proactive engagement/research projects (background research, partnership development and stakeholder management, use of a range of engagement/research methods appropriate for diverse communities, data management, analysis, and reporting).

d. the recruitment, training, support, and involvement of volunteers.

3. To ensure that public feedback is passed on appropriately and comprehensively to services and commissioners, lead on the development of evidence-based recommendations, and lead on the promotion, presentation and dissemination of HWS findings, influencing improvements in health and social care.

4. To represent HWS on the Southwark Health and Wellbeing Board and a range of other commissioner and provider boards/committees, promoting public voice/engagement, sharing HWS's findings, and flexibly drawing on HWS's entire evidence base to respond to plans.

5. To work with the joint Healthwatch representative to the SE London ICS (hosted at HW Greenwich) to ensure influence at regional level.

6. To manage communications for HWS, including the website and social media.

7. To develop and maintain productive, collaborative, and influential relationships with stakeholders including the public, Community Southwark and other local VCS organisations, service providers, commissioners and regulators, Healthwatch England and other local Healthwatch.

8. To support and provide secretarial function to an Advisory Board made up of local volunteers and VCS representatives, and work with its Chair to ensure that it receives appropriate information on all relevant matters and is involved in all relevant decisions according to agreed policies and the Advisory Board’s Terms of Reference.

9. Working with the Advisory Board, to implement HWS's strategy and priorities, providing relevant data and up-to-date contextual insight, and ensuring that statutory Healthwatch functions and contract requirements are met.

10. To produce and disseminate monitoring and annual reports that respond to Southwark Council’s Healthwatch contract and specification and other legislative requirements.

11. To ensure appropriate systems and processes are developed, implemented and reviewed to enable efficiency and good practice. This includes ensuring that HWS fulfils its responsibilities regarding safeguarding, data protection, equalities and use of its statutory powers.

12. To ensure that expenditure is controlled and monitored in line with budgets and that all financial procedures are followed.

General

·         To support Community Southwark’s and Healthwatch Southwark’s mission, vision, values and strategic objectives.

·         To undertake other tasks from time to time and as appropriate, that may be required by the Community Southwark CEO in line with the goals of the organisation.

·         To work within all of Community Southwark’s and Healthwatch Southwark’s policies.

·         To perform five days (pro rata) consultancy on behalf of the organisation.  

Changes

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted.  It is the practice of the organisation to examine job descriptions from time to time and to update them to ensure they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever changes are being proposed. This would be conducted in consultation with you through your Support & Supervision sessions.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Needed

• Track record of successfully managing projects and people in a supportive manner.

• Good knowledge of the health and care system, ideally locally, and the challenges facing it.

• Passion for quality public health and care services and strong appreciation for the role of patient and public voice in achieving this.

• Experience of involving patients and the public in making effective, evidence-based recommendations for policy or service improvement

• Excellent networking, presentation and communication skills including report writing and public speaking.

• Influencing skills and experience in a political context involving senior decision makers within the local authority and health services.

Personal Qualities

• Supportive manager, capable of leading and decision making whilst also considering wider issues and impact on individuals

• A full commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion with practical ideas for its implementation within the scope of the post

• Reliable and highly organised, with ability to flexibly and efficiently manage varied and rapidly changing tasks, as well as ensure structure and oversight of the many workstreams of the team.

• High levels of initiative and a proactive, constructive, and transparent approach to challenges and opportunities.

• Committed to Community Southwark’s values.

Additional Information  

Responsible to: CEO  

Salary: £38,000 per annum

Contract Duration: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week 

Location: The office is in 11 Market Place, London, SE16 3UQ for a minimum of two days per week. The postholder may work the rest of the week from home. 

Benefits:  

·       30 days annual leave (exclusive of public/bank holidays) per annum; pro-rata for part-time employees.  

·       2 Volunteering Days per annum (pro-rata for part-time employees) 

·       £530 annual training allowance.  

·       Pension – Employer contribution: 5% 

·       Cycle to Work Scheme.  

·       Flexi-time 

·       Enhanced maternity and paternity pay 

·       Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential helpline for personal or professional concerns)